星期天：爱——最为重要的果实

圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔、节制。这样的事，没有律法禁止。——加拉太书5：22-23

让我们来一起看看来自世界各地的水果：

芒果

芒果通常是椭圆形或长椭圆形的水果，果皮呈黄红色。它的核儿很硬，果肉香甜多汁。芒果是世界上最受欢迎的水果之一，大概是因为它们有如奶油般丝滑的口感并浓郁的果香味。难怪芒果在印度被誉为水果之王，当地芒果品种达 500 多种。如今，你可以在世界任何地方找到芒果，但它们原产于南亚、印度、拉丁美洲和加勒比地区。

在印度，芒果象征着“爱”，一篮芒果被认为是友谊的象征。在许多拉丁美洲国家，你会发现许多街头小贩卖芒果棒，有些地方比如墨西哥，他们把青柠汁和辣椒粉撒在芒果上当作配料。

今日的属灵果子是爱

在加拉太书 5 章 22 和 23 节，使徒保罗说：“圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔、节制。这样的事，没有律法禁止。”

在这里，保罗得出了13-26 节所传达的核心信息——关于在耶稣里得自由的真正含义。

在加拉太书 5 章 13 节，保罗提出：“弟兄们，你们蒙召是要得自由，只是不可将你们的自由当作放纵情欲的机会，总要用爱心互相服事。” 保罗通过这些话表明，真正的自由并不意味着我们可以随心所欲；而是说要过一种顺服上帝的生活，活出上帝爱的本质。

我们刚才所了解到的圣灵之果，实际上是使徒保罗在比较“顺着圣灵而行”（16节）和“放纵肉体的情欲”（17节）这两种做法所得出的最终结论。本质上，信息所要传达的是，如果我们属耶稣，我们将“爱人如己”（14节）。

《圣经》清楚地表明，“爱”是界定耶稣真正的跟随者的总括标准。是的，“爱”是为耶稣而活、活在耶稣里的结果。为了不让人误以为爱是一种多愁善感和捉摸不透的感觉，使徒保罗坚定地表达何谓爱的定义：“爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈；爱是不嫉妒，爱是不自夸，不张狂”（哥林多前书 13：4）。

关于结出爱的果实这一观点，怀爱伦说道：“顺从真理就结出好的果子——‘爱弟兄没有虚假。’这种爱是出于上天的，并促使人有导致高尚的动机和无私的行为。”（《使徒行述》p.519）

农民可以耕种、施肥和照料——但事实是，一种作物能否成功结出果实，仍是由上帝那赐予生命的神圣之恩而来。同样，借着耶稣基督的白白牺牲，那些顺从祂灵而行的人理当结出圣灵的果实。当然，这意味着我们要在所有的关系当中都表现出耐心、善良、温柔和忠诚；尤其是家庭关系。

今天，我们力劝你去摘下爱的果实。然而，随着新的一天的到来，每天从上帝的爱中摘下一个果实，让祂的爱成为你生命的原则——如此一来，你的婚姻、家庭和每一段人际关系都会得到祝福，直到耶稣再来。

祷告：

慈爱的天父上帝，感谢祢那时刻与我们相伴的宝贵之爱。今天，请帮助我们以这种爱彼此相爱。奉主耶稣的名祈求，阿们。

仁爱果子小活动

你需要准备：

• 每人准备一张大纸
• 铅笔、蜡笔、马克笔等

活动提示：

• 给你的每一位家人发一张大纸，让他们在纸上画一个大心。
• 让他们在那个大心里写下别人做过的并让他们特別能感受到爱的十件事。
• 当他们写完十件感到被爱的事之后，让他们：
• 用红色笔把别人曾对你说过或做过的暖心事圈起来。 
• 用绿色笔把曾受人帮助的事圈起来。
• 用蓝色笔把别人对你关爱的表现，比如拥抱，圈起来。
• 用黄色笔把有关别人送你礼物的事圈起来。
• 用紫色笔把别人花时间陪你做你喜欢的事圈起来。
• 看看你们每个人大心里的颜色。对于那些你喜欢的别人爱你的方式，你学到了什么？
• 于本周内计划对你家庭中的每位成员做一些爱的行动，并按照他们喜爱的方式来进行。

圣经经文活动

你需要准备：

• 纸或卡片纸，你可以凭喜好选择不同的顏色
• 一个可以绘制的心形模板——将纸从中间对折然后剪成一个两边对称的心——打开并检查心形，重叠对比，如不一致可修剪成一样的。
• 剪刀
• 铅笔和彩笔
• 打孔器（或者在心上划个小口子替代打孔）
• 纱线、细绳、丝带等。

活动提示：

• 挑选一段《圣经》经文，并将经文中的一个单词写在剪裁好的心形上，再准备一个心形写上经文的出处。
• 在每个心形的两侧，靠近顶部的相同位置打孔，这样它们就可以用纱线、细绳或丝带串成一串。
• 将选中的经文中的每个单词写在单个的心形上，并根据需要进行装饰。
• 大家轮流把心形打乱，然后再按正确的顺序重新排列穿在线上，组成经文原句。

一起讨论的问题

• 向他人展现爱是圣灵之果，因为……
• 当……的時候，耶稣会展现祂的爱
• 向他人展现爱的《圣经》人物还有……
• 在以下情况，我觉得最难以爱行事……
• 帮助我更爱他人的一些事情是……
• 我在本周的一次爱的表现是发生在……
• 我在本周所经历的一次爱的体验是在……
• 通过以下方式，我们更能够彼此相爱……

弟兄姐妹们，我们想通过本平台分享更多国外本会优质影像资料。因为人手有限，希望招募一些志同道合的主内同工，做英文视频字幕翻译，视频字幕合成制作，视频中文配音，配音对轨制作。有意者请留言输入“义工申请”。以马内利！

Sunday

Love: The Overreaching Fruit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” –Gal 5:22-23

Let’s learn about fruit from around the World:

MANGO

Mango is usually an oval shaped or oblong fruit with a firm yellowish-red skin. It has a hard central seed, and juicy sweet-smelling pulp. Mangos are one of the world’s most popular fruits, this is likely due to their creamy but fruity taste. It is not a surprise that mango is known as the King of fruits in India, with 500+ varieties of mangos. Today you can find mangos anywhere in the world, but they are native to Southern Asia, India, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Mango symbolizes love in India, and a basket of mangos is considered a gesture of friendship. In many Latin American countries, you’ll find many street vendors offering mango on a stick, and in some places like in Mexico, they add lime juice and chili powder as a topping.

Today’s Spiritual Fruit is Love

In Galatians 5:22 and 23, the Apostle Paul announces: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Here, Paul arrives at the heart of the message being delivered between verses 13-26 on what it really means for someone to have freedom in Jesus.

In Galatians 5:13 Paul proposes: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” By these words, Paul indicates that being truly free does not mean doing anything we feel like. Rather, living a life of obedience to God, representing the essence of God Who is love.

What we have come to know as the fruit of the Spirit, is really the culmination of the contrast the Apostle Paul is making between those who “Walk in the Spirit” (v. 16) and those who live by “the desire of the flesh” (v. 17). Essentially, the message being communicated is that if we belong to Jesus we will “love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 14).

The Bible is clear that love is the all-encompassing response of the true follower of Jesus. Yes, love is the result of a life lived for Jesus and lived in Jesus. And, just in case someone is thinking of love as a sentimental and fuzzy feeling, the Apostle Paul leaves no doubt about what he means when he shares: “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant” (1 Cor 13:4).

On the idea of producing the fruit of love, Ellen White says: “Obedience to the word produces fruit of the required quality—’unfeigned love of the brethren.’ This love is heaven-born and leads to high motives and unselfish actions.” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 519)

The truth is, farmers can plow, fertilize, and tend—but whether a crop succeeds in producing fruit is still the result of God’s divine gift of life. Likewise, it is through Christ’s freely given sacrifice that those living by His Spirit can expect to produce the Spirit’s fruit. This, of course, translates into being patient, kind, gentle and faithful in all our relationships; especially in our family relationships.

Today we urge you to pick the fruit of love. However, as a new day is born, pick a fruit each day that flows from God’s love—the central principle of your life—and by so doing become a blessing in your marriage, in your home, and in every one of your relationships until Jesus comes again.

PRAY:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious love that surrounds us always. Help us to love one another with that kind of love today. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Fruitful LOVE Activity

You will Need:

• A large sheet of paper for each person,
• Pencils, crayons, marker pens, etc.

Instructions:

• Give each of your family members a large sheet of paper and ask them to draw a big heart on the paper.
• Ask them to write inside their hearts ten things that other people have done which made them feel especially loved.
• When they have finished writing ten things that made them feel loved ask them to:
• Draw a red circle around the times someone said or wrote something loving.
• Draw a green circle around the times when someone did something to help you.
• Draw a blue circle around the times when someone showed you affection, like a hug.
• Draw a yellow circle around the times someone gave you a little gift.
• Draw a purple circle around the times someone spent time with you, doing something you enjoyed.
• Look at the colors on each of your hearts. What have you learned about the special ways in which you all like to be loved?
• Plan to do something loving for each person in your family this week, inspired by the ways they most like to be loved.

Bible Verse Activity

You will Need:

• Paper or card stock, in different colors if you like
• A heart template to draw around – fold paper and cut half a heart shape with the fold in the center – open out and check the heart shape, refold, and trim if necessary
• Scissors
• Pencils and coloring materials
• Hole punch (or cut slits in the hearts instead of punching holes)
• Yarn, string, ribbon, etc.

Instructions:

• Cut out one paper heart for each word in the Bible verse, plus an extra one for the Bible reference.
• Punch one hole on each side of each heart, near the top, in the same place on each shape, so that they can be threaded onto yarn, string, or ribbon to make a garland.
• Write each word from the verse on a separate heart shape and decorate the hearts if you like.
• Take it in turns to shuffle the hearts and then rearrange them in the right order to make the verse.

Questions To Talk About Together

• Showing love to each other is a fruit of the Spirit because…
• Jesus showed love when…
• Other Bible characters who showed love for others were…
• I find it hardest to act in a loving way when…
• Some things that help me to be more loving to others are…
• One time that I was loving this week was when…
• One time when someone was loving towards me this week was…
• We can help each other to be more loving by…